Differential timer



Jan. 28, 1969 J. L. MENNITT 3,424,030

DIFFERENTIAL TIMER Jan. 28, 1969 I J. MENNITT 3,424,030

DIFFERENTIAL TIMER Filed July 6, 1966 v I Sheet 2 l NVENTOR.

Jan. 28, 1969 J- MENNITT DIFFERENT IAL TIMER Filed July 6, 1966 Sheet 3. of 5' Illllllll lllllllll INVENTOR.

.JSSefIA /7 80/7112 United States Patent Ofiice 3,424,030 Patented Jan. 28, 1969 3,424,030 DIFFERENTIAL TIMER Joseph L. Mennitt, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens- Illinois, Inc., a corporation of Ohio Filed July 6, 1966, Ser. No. 563,110 US. Cl. 74-675 Int. Cl. Fl6h 37/06 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE My invention relates to improvements in differential timers and has for an object the provision of a compact timer, shaft mounted, and capable of manual manipulation from a location remote from such timer and shaft while the mechanism being timed is either at rest or operating.

An important object of my invention is the provision of a differential timer arrangement in which the timer itself is mounted directly upon a high speed, driven, shaft and wherein there is a device for adjusting the timer from a remote point, thereby to vary the timing between the driven shaft and a drive shaft which operates through the timer to rotate the driven shaft. Commercial differential timers presently available are of the bevel gear type and therefore in general are quite bulky and moreover must be mounted on their own individual bases separate from the device being driven. Furthermore, these commercial timers do not permit ready remote control as does my invention.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a differential timer in which spur gears, rather than bevel gears are utilized, thus contributing to compactness of the unit without detracting from its horsepower transmitting ability.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of my application:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing schematically a conventional lehr loader at the hot end of a glassware annealing lehr, with my differential timer supported on a driven shaft which powers the article pusher bar of the loader.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view partially in section showing the timer and adjusting means for same.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the timer.

In the illustrated embodiment of my differential timer it is shown in conjunction with a glassware lehr loader for the purpose of regulably controlling the timeof initiation of the working stroke of the ware pusher bar in relation to the movement of bottles or such glassware across the front end of the lehr. Proper timing is, of course, essential to insure against upsetting bottles as would occur incident to improper contact of bottles with the pusher bar. It is understood that this timer may well be utilized in other mechanisms and my showing of a lehr loader is for illustrative purposes only.

In FIG. 1 the mechanism with which my timer is illustrated comprises a tunnel-like lehr 10 having a continuously moving lehr conveyor belt 11 of conventional form. A horizontal cross-conveyor 12 extends across the front end of the lehr and functions to position bottles 13, one row at a time for pushing onto the lehr conveyor 11. This cross-conveyor 12 is driven by a motor M operating through a speed reducer unit 14, horizontal shaft 15, sprockets 16 and a sprocket chain 17. A dead plate 18 supports bottles upright as they are pushed from the cross-conveyor 12 onto the lehr conveyor 11. One form of lehr loader may well comprise a horizontal pusher bar 18a suspended by arms 19 from one end of a vertically swingable, generally horizontally slidable supporting frame 20. This frame is pivoted so that its bar carrying end and the pusher bar 18a may move vertically and clear a row of bottles just transferred to the lehr conveyor, so that it may retract away from the lehr.

Both reciprocation and vertical swinging movement of the pusher bar supporting frame are under the control of a pair of cams 21 which are mounted on a horizontal shaft 22 disposed parallel to the pusher-bar length. This shaft is journaled in a gear unit 23 suitably connected to the driven shaft 24 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of my differential timer T. Links 25 connect the cams 21 to the pusher-bar carrying frame 20. Power is supplied to the timer from the aforementioned shaft 15, through a direction change gear unit 26, shaft 27, sprockets 28, sprocket chain 29, a stub-shaft 30 connecting one of the sprockets 28 and a second direction change gear unit 31, the latter having a driven sprocket 32 connected by a sprocket chain 33 to a sprocket 34 which constitutes part of my differential timer.

This timer is mounted upon the driven horizontal shaft 24 which is directly connected to the gear unit 23. The aforementioned drive sprocket 34 is coaxial with and secured by a screw 36 or the like to the hub of a spur gear 37 rotatably mounted upon said shaft 24 within a gear housing 38. An idler spur gear 39 of the same diameter as the first-named spur gear 37 meshes with the latter and is mounted for free rotation upon a jack-shaft 40 which is disposed parallel to and below the driven shaft 24. An intermediate spur gear 41 which, in the interest of simplicity, is shown as being integral with the spur gear 39, is mounted on said jack-shaft 40 for rotation with said gear 39. This intermediate gear 41 is of slightly greater diameter than both the idler gear 39 and a driven spur gear 42, the latter mounted upon the driven shaft 24 to which it may be secured by a key 43 or other suitable connecting device. As shown, the intermediate spur gear 41 and driven spur gear 42 run in mesh with each other. In the illustration, the intermediate gear 41 has thirty-two teeth and the driven spur gear 42 has thirty teeth. This may of course vary as conditions require. From the foregoing it is apparent that the motor M operates or drives, the cross-conveyor 18 to bring bottles seriatim in front of the lehr entrance and additionally serves as the drive means which moves the article pusher bar 18a through a closed path to thereby push rows of bottles onto the lehr conveyor 11. Should the time of pusher bar advance be slightly off so that proper contact with the bottles is not being effected, it is necessary to either retard or advance initiation of the working stroke of the bar, such being obtained by manually rotating the driven shaft 24 to either advance or retard the angular position of said driven shaft 24 and correspondingly alter the position of the earns 21. This is obtained by means comprising a timer sprocket 44 encircling the shaft 24 coaxially and secured by screws 45 to that end of the gear housing 38 remote from the drive sprocket 34. By rotating this timer sprocket 44 the jack shaft carried spur gears 39 and 41 are moved about the driven shaft 24 and because of the difference in diameter of the intermediate gear 41 and driven gear 42 the latter will be advanced or retarded angularly and correspondingly change the position of the cams 21 or other mechanism involved. Thus it will be readily apparent that variations in the timing relationship of cross conveyor 12 and pusher-bar 18a are exclusively affected when sprocket 44 is angularly displaced. Also, the antecedent speed of the shaft and its speed subsequent to the interval of adjustment are identical, whereas during the adjusting interval, the shaft speed is accelerated or decelerated, with respect to the antecedent speed, depending upon the direction of adjustment.

Because it is distinctly advantageous to be able to move this timer sprocket 44 from a remote point, or location, I utilize means comprising a manually rotatable horizontal timer shaft 46 (FIGS. 1 and 2) having a small sprocket 47 at one end connected by a sprocket chain 48 to the timer sprocket 44. At its other or outer end, this timer shaft 46 may be provided with a hand crank 49 or handle, embodying a detent device 50 for releasably holding it in one fixed position.

It is believed clear that operation of the hand crank 49 causes movement of the housing 38 and the two spur gears 39 and 41 with the jack-shaft about the axis of the main driven shaft 24 causing either advancing or retarding of the angular position of the latter and consequent change in the time of occurrence of a specified mechanical operation.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope and the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Differential timing apparatus comprising a rotatable shaft, a drive spur gear and a driven spur gear coaxially positioned about said shaft, said drive gear being free to rotate about said shaft and said driven gear being secured to said shaft for rotation as a unit, an idler gear and intermediate gear of different diameters rotatable about a common axis disposed proximate and parallel to said shaft, said idler gear meshing with said drive gear and serving to rotate said intermediate gear, said intermediate gear meshing with said driven gear, means supporting said idler gear and said intermediate gear for rotation as a unit, means for rotating said drive gear, means coupled to said idler gear and intermediate gear supporting means for angularly adjusting the common axis of said idler gear and said intermediate gear with respect to said shaft such that when said angular adjustment is affected, the speed of said shaft is altered during the interval of adjustment but subsequent to said adjustment is identical to its antecedent speed, and means coupled to said angular adjusting means for maintaining the latter in selected adjusted positions.

2. The differential timing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for angularly adjusting the common axis of said idler gear and intermediate gear with respect to said shaft includes a rotatable member coaxial with said shaft, means coupling said member to said idler gear and intermediate gear supporting means, and means for rotating said rotatable member.

3. The differential timing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means supporting said idler and intermediate gears comprise a jack-shaft and a housing supporting said jackshaft, said jack-shaft being disposed proximate and parallel to said rotatable shaft and said housing being disposed outwardly of said drive gear and driven gear and having said rotatable shaft extending therethrough.

4. The differential timing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said rotatable member coaxial with said shaft comprises a sprocket.

5. The differential timing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for rotating said rotatable member comprises a manually operable crank and means connecting said crank to said rotatable member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,594,396 8/1926 Weston 74-675 2,275,246 3/ 1942 Caldwell 74-675 X 2,334,074 11/ 1943 Coy. 2,407,414 9/ 1946 Gillmore et a1 74-675 X 2,572,161 10/1951 Kiraly 74-675 X 2,589,119 3/1952 OLeary 74-675 ARTHUR T. MCKEON, Primary Examiner. 

